Metaphors_Used_in_the_Conceptualisation_of_Happiness

University of Nis Faculty of Philosophy English Department Term Paper for the Semantics Course (Autumn 2008 – Spring 2009) Topic: Metaphors Used in the Conceptualization of HAPPINESS Lecturer: Student: Prof. Djordje Vidanovic, Ph.D. Ana Panajotovic May, 2009 Current approaches in cognitive linguistics emphasize the importance of metaphor in language, and they consider it an essential and indispensable phenomenon in both language and thought (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). In fact, the importance of metaphor and its study in language is supported by Lakoff and Johnson’s vital proposal about the pervasiveness of metaphors in everyday life, and how this pervasiveness can be observed in language, thought and action (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, p. 3). In other words, they believe that many of the fundamental concepts of our conceptual system are inherently metaphorical and cannot be characterized non-metaphorically. These metaphorical concepts structure what we perceive, how we get around in the world, and how we relate to other people. In this approach, there is a distinction between conceptual metaphors and metaphorical linguistic expressions. In conceptual metaphors, one domain of experience is used to understand another domain of experience. The conceptual domain that we try to understand is called the target domain and the conceptual domain that we use for this purpose is the source domain. Understanding one domain in terms of another involves a set of fixed correspondences (technically called mappings) between a source and a target domain. This set of mappings obtains between basic constituent elements of the source domain and basic constituent elements of the target. To know a conceptual metaphor is to know the set of mappings that applies to a given source-target pairing. It is these mappings that provide much of the meaning of the metaphorical linguistic expressions (or linguistic metaphors) that make a particular conceptual metaphor manifest. Emotion concepts such as anger, fear, love, happiness, sadness, and so on are primarily understood by means of conceptual metaphors. So, in order to “explain” a certain emotion concept, its “role” in the metaphor must be that of a target domain and the number of “explanations” is the number of different concepts we use for the source domain. Since concepts have several aspects to them, speakers need several source domains to understand these different aspects of target concepts. Metaphors used in the conceptualization of HAPPINESS -Being happy is Being Off the Ground- The first major group of conceptual metaphors gives ‘happiness’ an upward oreintational denotation where happiness is associated with some kind of elevated place “off” the ground. This metaphor involves many other sub-metaphors which share the same metonymic mapping “Being happy is being off the ground”,” Being happy is being in heaven”. Linguistic expressions: He is on top of the world./ She was on cloud nine. /He’s sitting on high cotton./ When Carol won the lottery she went right into orbit. /When Eric won the lottery he was high as a kite. Asp.of SD[1]-the goodness of being up, Asp. of TD[2]-the goodness of happiness -Being happy is Being in Heaven- Linguistic expressions: That was heaven on earth. /It was paradise on earth. /I was in seventh heaven. Asp.of SD-the goodness of being up, Asp. of TD-the goodness of happiness -Happy is Up- Besides depicting a positive evaluation of happiness, another motivations for conceptualizing happiness with upward orientation may be its association with some behavioral responses that involve an upward movement. For example, “jumping” (up and down) is an activity that implies an upward orientation. Linguistic expressions: He was elated with joy./ We had to cheer him up./ They were in high spirits. /He jumped for joy. Asp.of SD-the goodness of being up, Asp. of TD-the goodness of happiness -Happiness is Light- Light, as opposed to dark, is valued positively. Therefore, the light metaphor also highlights the positive evaluation of happiness. Also, a happy person’s external brightness can be considered a reflection of his internal body’s heat resulted from his lively activity. Linguistic expressions: He radiates joy./ There was a glow of happiness in her face. /Mary gets stars in her eyes when she thinks of her boyfriend. /She was shining with joy. /He reflects joy. /Young people are often starry-eyed. Asp.of SD-the goodness of being “light”, Asp. of TD-the goodness of happiness Asp.of SD-the energy of light Asp. of TD-the energy that accompanies happiness -Happiness is Vitality/Energy/Activity- The main emphasis of the vitality metaphor is that the happy person is energetic, active; he or she is “full of life.” Linguistic expressions: /Her eyes were alive with joy. /We were dancing with joy. /He was singing for joy. /I’m feeling spry./ I felt vivacious. Asp.of SD-the energy of vitality, Asp. of TD-the energy that accompanies happiness Asp.of SD-the energy that comes Asp. of TD-the energy/activity that accompanies with an activity happiness -Happiness is a Fluid (substance) in a Container- The “container” metaphor gives us a good indication about the degree to which our feeling of happiness reaches. It is seen that the more this “container” is filled with the “fluid” of happiness, the more our sense of happiness and joy increases. If the container is portrayed as being open, then the increase of emotions leads the fluid to overflow (“He was overflowed with joy”). If the container is portrayed closed, then, the increase of emotions leads the fluid to exert a larger amount of pressure on all sides of its container leading to its burst (“I was bursting with happiness.”) Linguistic expressions: The football team was full of beans after winning the tournament. /Joy seeped from him. He had an uprush of joy. /The situation filled her with joy. /I brimmed over with joy when I saw her. /Her heart swelled with happiness. /She bubbled over with joy when she entered the shop. /She overflowed with joy. /I was bursting with happiness. Asp.of SD-the quantity of the fluid Asp. of TD-the intensity of happiness Asp.of SD-trying to keep the fluid inside Asp. of TD- trying to control happiness Asp.of SD-the inability to control a large Asp. of TD-the inability to control quantity of the fluid intense happiness -Happiness is an Opponent- This conceptualisation reflects how happiness is seen in a state of struggling with a happy person and how the latter attempts to subdue his feelings of happiness to his control. Linguistic expressions: Happiness took complete control over him. /He was knocked out! /She was overcome with joy. Asp.of SD-the inability to withstand Asp. of TD-the inability to control happiness the attack of an opponent -A Happy Person is an Animal (that lives well)- The animalistic metaphor reflects the pleasure and enjoyment that a happy person experiences when he lives in peace and harmony with his environment without bothering himself with the modern civilization complex ties and conventions. In this metaphor, the outside world is viewed as giving the happy person all what he needs like it does for animals. For this reason, the happy person, who is depicted as an animal, feels comfort and well-being, and lives in harmony with the world surrounding him. Linguistic expressions: He was happy as a pig in slop. /She was chirping like a cricket. /He is as happy as a horse in hay. /She was crowing with excitement. Asp.of SD-the satisfaction of the animal Asp. of TD-the harmony felt by the happy person -Happiness is a Captive Animal- Happiness is viewed as a thing that is hard to be controlled, and it always tries to run away. These metaphors are used to express the hard efforts exercised in order to control happiness. Although happiness is a positive and desirable emotional state, our conceptual mappings imply that they have to be kept under control and certain limitations. Linguistic expressions: She unleashed her joy. /She gave way to her feelings of happiness. /His feelings of joy broke loose. /He couldn’t hold back tears of joy. Asp.of SD-the inability to Asp. of TD- the inability to control happiness hold the animal back -Happiness is Rapture- Rapture is associated with pleasurable experience and feeling energized, but the major aspect of happiness that this metaphor highlights is loss of control and excessiveness that rapture is accompanied with. Linguistic expressions: It was a delirious feeling./ He was drunk with joy. /The experience was intoxicating. Asp.of SD-the physical pleasure Asp. of TD-the emotional pleasantness of of rapture happiness Asp.of SD-the lack of control Asp. of TD-the lack of control in happiness in a state of rapture -Happiness is a Pleasurable Physical Sensation- This conceptual metaphor gives the feeling tone of happiness, that is, it depicts the way happiness feels to the person experiencing it. Linguistic expressions: I was purring with delight./ He was wallowing in a sea of happiness./ I was tickled pink. Asp.of SD-the pleasurable physical Asp. of TD- the harmony felt by the happy sensation person -Happiness is Insanity- Many previous metaphors imply some kind of losing control because of intense happiness. This happens when a happy person expresses his emotions without taking any social convention into consideration. The speaker expresses his great feelings of happiness in a way that he feels himself in a state of intentional ecstasy and unawareness about what is around him because of his amusement and happiness. Insanity, as it is already known, involves some sort of lack of control. In addition, insanity is higher than rapture and entails more loss of control and strange actions. The “insanity” metaphor can be attributed to the uncontrolled and strange, odd deeds and behaviors made by the happy person unconsciously like laughing excitedly, jumping and clapping excessively. Linguistic expressions: They were crazy with happiness./ She was mad with joy. /She was delirious with joy. Asp.of SD-the mental lack of control Asp. of TD- the emotional lack of control over insanity over happiness -Happiness is a Natural Force- Natural force metaphor highlights the lack of control over the situation that is happening to the experiencer of happiness. He/she is passive in relation to the event or state they are involved in. Linguistic expressions: We were carried away with happiness. /He was swept off his feet. /I was bowled over. Asp.of SD-the inability to resist the force Asp. of TD- the inability to control happiness Asp.of SD-the physical helplessness Asp. of TD- the emotional passivity -Happiness is a Desired (hidden) Object- By desired and hidden we mean that happiness can not be obtained or found easily, or without making an effort to do something after which we find ourselves satisfied and pleased for the fruitful success we gained. Linguistic expressions: I have found happiness. / He is striving for happiness./ The pursuit of happiness is our inalienable right. Asp.of SD-the goodness of finding Asp. of TD-the goodness of finding happiness a desired object Asp.of SD-the search for something Asp. of TD-the goodness of searching good for happiness The focus of the preceding analysis was primarily to show some of the major conceptual metaphors which are used to linguistically express the concept of ‘happiness’. Many of these metaphors are frequently utilized in everyday language, which led current researches to support the idea that metaphors used in this domain (and emotion domain in general) tend to be conventionalized. In other words, this shows that using metaphors is not just “a device of the poetic imagination or the rhetorical flourish”, but that it is an integral part of our way of thought and action. More specifically, it can be concluded that the concept of happiness is characterized by “evaluative” metaphors, which provide a particular appraisal of happiness, and “phenomenological” metaphors, which are based on the distinctive causes and expressive, physiological and behavioral responses that characterize happiness. References: Kövecses, Zoltan. 2002. Metaphor. A practical introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson. 1980. Metaphors we live by. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press. ----------------------- [1] aspect of source domain [2] aspect of target domain